Class revolution

Protecting the future generation begins in the classroom. By changing conventional school rules in simple and low-cost ways, chronic diseases linked to obesity and poor nutrition can be overcome.

Scrap the ‘sit still, eyes on the board’ rule

Being in the same position for long periods of time not only inhibits concentration, recent evidence suggests the poor health consequences of too much sitting are of similar magnitude to obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, warns Leon Straker, from Curtin University school of physiotherapy and exercise science.

“It has only been in the past few years that we have realised that too much sitting is probably a separate risk factor to not getting enough exercise,” he said.

While there was evidence excessive sitting in adults was linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers, the impact was still being tracked in children. “It is pretty likely that it is important in childhood and even if it does not show up in their health in childhood, we know that sedentary and activity behaviour patterns are established in childhood and adolescence and carry through into adulthood.”

Professor Straker suggests ways for teachers to protect students by reducing and breaking up sitting time:

Aim to get students up and moving after each 30-minute period of sitting — every 15 minutes would be even better. Change the activity, have a three-minute exercise or dance break or shift from working sitting down to standing up for a while.

Structure class sessions to include group work or some reason for students to get up.

Teach children from the start of school to self-manage sitting time. “It’s OK for them to get up from sitting at a desk and move around, work lying down or standing up, as long as they are not distracting other kids and they are getting on with their task,” Professor Straker said.

High-school students were provided with a “natural break” in sitting when they had to get up and move to another classroom for the next period. However, students staying put for a double period should be allowed to stand up and stretch, Professor Straker said.

Mats — give students the opportunity to get up and lie down on their stomach for a short period, allowing a change in posture that rests backs and necks.

Give them the chalk

Schools are being urged to reduce lunchtime boredom, shown in studies to be a risk factor for bullying, by engaging student leaders to encourage fun, co-operative lunchtime activities. These can range from ball games to chalk drawing. “We have found that the last five to 10 minutes of lunch break at schools was the time when more children were involved in bullying,” Telethon Kids Institute anti-bullying expert Donna Cross said.

“Keeping students mentally or physically active reduces bullying by distracting them and keeping them focused on more positive ways to interact.” But Professor Cross warned it was important that sufficient equipment was supplied or objects such as basketballs “became very powerful” and those students who had them could use them against those they did not want to include.

Boost marks by teachers getting to know students

Research showed students learned better when they liked their teachers, Professor Cross said. So teacher lunchtime duty should be regarded as an important time for staff to “get to know those in their care” rather than just “watching out for those behaving badly”. “A priority for teachers during duty time could be to meet two students they have not met before and learn their names and something about them,” she said. “Many students have told us, through surveys, that when they need help there are only a few teachers that they would go to, if at all, and usually it is because those teachers smile at them, know their name and something about them.”

Play their music

Playing music at lunch breaks has been reported by some WA schools to have a calming effect. Professor Cross said the music was usually pumped into areas only where the students were sitting and year groups took turns at putting together the playlist. “When the music is playing students just seem to be a bit more relaxed and fun loving than when there is no music at all,” she said.

Better playground seats

Revamping old playground seating to enable students to sit in a group and face each other could encourage them to interact more positively, Professor Cross said. It lessened the risk of them “fish bowling” and analysing and passing comment on all those who passed by.

Teach them to think on their feet

Growing concerns about the damaging health effects of sitting too long means effort may need to be put in to “set up” this generation of students for future workplaces that may require standing or walking on a treadmill or using an exercise bike while on the computer. “Basically, moving while they are working and in between as well,” Professor Straker said. “It would be a great habit to get children into so when they get to the workforce that is normal for them and they have got a whole life habit set up that is really going to help their longevity and health.”

Globally, about 2 per cent of deaths are related to traditional work-related risks like falls and pollutants, while about 6 per cent are related to too much sitting.

Try to provide work surfaces that allow students to stand up while working. “Often there are cupboards in classrooms that are the right height, where they store art materials, and often they can be used as a work surface,” Professor Straker said.

Use laptops but set firm rules about breaks. “In fact, a laptop gives you better neck posture than looking at paper because the laptop screen is up a little bit rather than the paper being flat on the desk,” Professor Straker said. “The danger is that the laptop can keep a child engaged for hours and hours and hours, where it has to be a really good book to do that.” Also, if the laptop used for classwork, homework and study was then used during recreational time to watch movies, play games or for social media, he warned, “children can have all their leisure and all their school life in the same posture on the same device”. Better for muscles, bones and eyes if study breaks were spent away from the screen, outside throwing a ball or cycling.

Map bullying hotspots

Give students a map of the school and get them to highlight in green the areas they feel safe and in red the areas they feel unsafe and why, including spots used for bullying. This can help identify common “places of irritation that can lead to poor student behaviour” and highlight contributing factors. Such factors may include fewer teachers on duty in that area, structures blocking the view of teachers, a narrow locker area or hall where students are in close contact with each other or an area, such as a bus stop, where tired, unsupervised students gather.

Five anti-bullying steps:

Everyone should know the school’s values and expectations of how to treat each other.

The school should feel and look friendly and warm, with lots of student input and signs that all are respected, especially indigenous and cultural groups.

Every adult or student bystander witnessing bullying or inappropriate behaviour should know that they are expected to take some positive action against it.

Assist with the development of emotional control because not reacting is an important way to extinguish bullying.

Parents should not rush to school and try to solve bullying. They risk their child “learning helplessness”. Better first to support and encourage their child to think about how they can deal with the bullying. Also those children who bully are unlikely to be stopped by punishment or a “one-size-fits-all program”. Effort needs to be put in to determining the reasons for the bullying, to help bullies “unlearn” the behaviour and find other ways to achieve their goals.

Eating allowed in the classroom

Once considered a punishable offence, WA students are now being urged to eat in class as part of the Crunch&Sip program co-ordinated by Cancer Council WA. They are given a set morning or afternoon break in the classroom to refuel on fruit or salad vegetables and drink water. It’s aimed at assisting concentration and physical and mental performance and modelling healthy eating habits.

Anne Finch, from the LiveLighter campaign and Cancer Council WA, said food had a “huge effect” on cognitive development. “This includes mental functions like problem-solving, memory and concentration — crucial to doing well at school,” she said. “Eating well also keeps kids’ immune systems strong to help protect them from the bugs and sniffles that always seem to be going around at school.”

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Health+Medicine is supported by a grant from Healthway (the WA Health Promotion Foundation) with the involvement of The National Heart Foundation (WA division), Cancer Council of WA, Asthma Foundation of WA, Australian Medical Association (WA), Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, FPWA Sexual Health Services, School of Population Health University of WA, Arthritis & Osteoporosis Foundation of WA and Diabetes WA.